document_title: Jason Bourne (film)

question_text: who plays heather lee in jason bourne movie

text: Jason Bourne (film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: A decade after he exposed Operation Blackbriar and disappeared, Jason Bourne has finally recovered from his amnesia, isolating himself from the world and making a living by taking part in savage, bareknuckle fighting bouts. In Reykjavík, Nicky Parsons, who has been collaborating with a hacktivist group led by Christian Dassault, hacks into the CIA's mainframe computer server to expose its "black" (top-secret) operations programs. This alerts Heather Lee, the head of the agency's cybersecurity operations division, and CIA director Robert Dewey. In the process, Parsons finds documents concerning Bourne's recruitment into Treadstone and his father's role in the program. She travels to Athens to find and inform him.

text: In Greece, Parsons and Bourne meet at Syntagma Square during a violent anti-government protest. They evade CIA teams sent after them, but Parsons is shot by the Asset, an ex-Blackbriar assassin who also holds a personal grudge against Bourne, having been captured and tortured as an unintentional consequence of Bourne's exposure of Blackbriar. Before she dies, Parsons passes Bourne the key to a locker which holds the CIA files.

text: Seeking answers about his past and family, Bourne locates Dassault in Berlin. Decrypting Parsons' files, Bourne discovers that his father, Richard Webb, was a CIA analyst involved in the creation of the Treadstone program. A "malware" program implanted in the files gives the CIA Bourne's location, and Dewey sends a team to capture him, while Lee remotely erases the files. Dassault attacks Bourne, but is killed. Lee alerts Bourne to the team closing in, as she believes that he can be persuaded to return to the agency. Using the few leads he gathered in Berlin, Bourne tracks Malcolm Smith, a former Treadstone surveillance operative, in London and arranges to meet him in Paddington Plaza.

text: Lee persuades Dewey's boss, Edwin Russell, the Director of National Intelligence, to allow her to contact Bourne in person to attempt to bring him back in. Dewey, who opposes her plan, secretly authorizes the Asset to eliminate her team and kill Bourne. Bourne evades Lee and the Asset long enough to confront Smith. Smith admits that Richard Webb created Treadstone, but tried to prevent them from recruiting his son. Under Dewey's orders, the Asset killed Richard Webb in Beirut, making it look like a terrorist attack, in order to persuade Bourne to join Treadstone. Smith is killed by the Asset, while Bourne escapes and finds Lee. She admits that she is not comfortable with Dewey's methods and directs Bourne to a technology convention in Las Vegas.

text: Dewey is scheduled to attend the convention for a public debate on privacy rights with Aaron Kalloor, CEO of social media giant Deep Dream. Kalloor is the public face of corporate social responsibility in the Internet age, but he was secretly funded by Dewey in the startup stage. The CIA director intends to use Deep Dream for real-time mass surveillance alongside the latest incarnation of the CIA's targeted assassination 'Beta' program, known as "Iron Hand". When Kalloor has second thoughts about giving the CIA access to Deep Dream, Dewey authorizes the Asset to assassinate Kalloor and Lee. Bourne thwarts the assassinations and confronts Dewey in his suite. Dewey appeals to Bourne's sense of patriotism as he stalls for time. Bourne kills Jeffers, Dewey's right-hand man. Lee kills Dewey before he can shoot Bourne. Bourne covers up Lee's involvement before chasing the Asset on the Las Vegas Strip and finally killing him during a brutal hand-to-hand fight.

text: In the aftermath, Lee convinces Edwin Russell that Dewey's methods were outdated and offers herself as Dewey's replacement as CIA director and Russell's eyes and ears within the CIA. She outlines her plan to use Bourne's trust to bring him back to the agency, but is prepared to kill him if he refuses. Lee meets with Bourne, promising him that the CIA will become the organization he thought it was when he joined. Bourne asks for time to consider her offer and walks away. Lee returns to her car and finds a recording, made by Jason Bourne, of the conversation she had with Russell about bringing Bourne in.

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Matt Damon as Jason Bourne, born David Webb, a former CIA assassin who disappeared after publicizing details of the CIA's targeted assassination programs.
Tommy Lee Jones as Robert "Bob" Dewey, the current director of the CIA and leader of the Iron Hand program who intends to take down Bourne after the exposure of Blackbriar.
Alicia Vikander as Heather Lee, head of the CIA Cyber Ops Division.
Vincent Cassel as the Asset, a Blackbriar assassin working for the Iron Hand program. The Asset was captured and tortured as a result of Bourne's actions in The Bourne Ultimatum and harbours resentment toward him because of it.
Julia Stiles as Nicolette "Nicky" Parsons, Bourne's former Treadstone contact in Paris whom he sent into hiding in The Bourne Ultimatum.
Riz Ahmed as Aaron Kalloor, CEO and founder of Deep Dream, a social media enterprise.
Ato Essandoh as Craig Jeffers, a CIA agent and Dewey's right-hand man.
Scott Shepherd as Edwin Russell, Director of National Intelligence.
Bill Camp as Malcolm Smith, a former CIA analyst who retired to the private sector.
Vinzenz Kiefer as Christian Dassault, a hacker, whistleblower, and the leader of a group of privacy activists.
Gregg Henry as Richard Webb, Jason Bourne's father and creator of the original Treadstone program, who was murdered by the Asset.
Stephen Kunken as Baumen, a Deep Dream employee who is one of Kalloor's main assistants.

text: Production[edit]

text: Development[edit]

text: In May 2007, prior to the release of The Bourne Ultimatum, Matt Damon stated that he would not be interested in returning for a fourth Bourne film, remarking of his participation in the Bourne franchise: "We have ridden that horse as far as we can."[3] Damon said in August 2007:

text: I think in terms of another one, the story of this guy's search for his identity is over, because he's got all the answers, so there's no way we can trot out the same character, and so much of what makes him interesting is that internal struggle that was happening for him: am I a good guy, am I a bad guy, what is the secret behind my identity, what am I blocking out, why am I remembering these disturbing images? So all of that internal propulsive mechanism that drives the character is not there, so if there was to be another one, then it would have to be a complete reconfiguration, you know. Where do you go from there? For me, I kind of feel like the story that we set out to tell has now been told. I love the character, and if Paul Greengrass calls me in ten years and says, 'Now we can do it, because it's been ten years and I have a way to bring him back,' then there's a world in which I can go, 'Yeah, absolutely.' We could get the band back together if there was a great idea behind it, but in terms of now and this story, that part—-the story's been told...[4]

text: Instead The Bourne Legacy was released in the U.S. in August 2012 with Jeremy Renner replacing Damon as the star.[5] Despite getting mixed reviews Universal noted that they planned to continue with the series,[6] with Damon and Paul Greengrass later expressing interest in returning.[7]

text: On September 15, 2014, it was announced that Damon and Greengrass would indeed return for the next Bourne film.[8] In November 2014, Damon confirmed that he and Greengrass would return, with a script from themselves, with Christopher Rouse editing.[9][10] On May 23, 2015, Deadline.com reported that Alicia Vikander was in talks to star with Damon in the fifth film.[11] On June 19, 2015, Deadline reported that Julia Stiles had confirmed she would be reprising the role of Nicky Parsons in the film, a character she had previously played in the first three films.[12] Viggo Mortensen was in talks to play the villain role.[13] On June 23, 2015, Vikander was confirmed to star in the sequel, while she was also in talks for the Assassin's Creed film, which she passed on.[14] On July 28, 2015, Tommy Lee Jones joined the film's cast to play a senior CIA officer.[15] On September 1, 2015, Vincent Cassel was cast in the film as an assassin who tracks Bourne.[16] On September 15, 2015, The Hollywood Reporter confirmed that actor Ato Essandoh was cast in the film as an unspecified character.[17] On October 20, 2015, Scott Shepherd was added to the cast to play the deputy director of the CIA.[18] On November 4, 2015, Variety confirmed that Riz Ahmed had signed on to play the role of a tech specialist working with the CIA.[19]

text: Filming[edit]

text: Principal photography on the film commenced on September 8, 2015.[20] In early November, filming took place outside Paddington Station in London.[21] In late November 2015, filming took place in Kreuzberg, Berlin.[22] In early December 2015, filming started in Washington, D.C., where shooting took place at Constitution Gardens.[23] Filming in Las Vegas, Nevada was scheduled to begin on January 14, 2016, lasting until January 21.[24] Production on the film concluded on February 1, 2016.[25] Filming also took place in March 2016 at Woolwich Arsenal railway station in Greenwich, London. Part of the film (some scenes set in Greece) was shot in the city of Santa Cruz de Tenerife (Tenerife island, Canary Islands, Spain).[26]

text: Release[edit]

text: On January 6, 2015, Universal set the film's United States release date as July 29, 2016.[27] The first trailer for the film was aired on February 7, 2016, during Super Bowl 50 and revealed the title of the film.[28] The film was released in the United Kingdom on July 27, 2016.[29] It was released in 2D and IMAX 3D in select international territories only, using DMR.[30]

text: Home media[edit]

text: Jason Bourne was released on Digital HD on November 15 and on Blu-ray/DVD December 6 by Universal Pictures Home Entertainment.[31]

text: Soundtrack[edit]

text:
Jason Bourne: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

Soundtrack album by John Powell and David Buckley

Released
July 29, 2016

Recorded
2016

Genre
Soundtrack

Length
61:16

Label
Back Lot Music

Singles from Jason Bourne: Original Motion Picture Soundtrack

"Extreme Ways (Jason Bourne)"
Released: July 29, 2016

text: The soundtrack to Jason Bourne, as composed by John Powell and David Buckley, was released digitally on July 29, 2016, by Back Lot Music.[32] A new version of Moby's "Extreme Ways", entitled "Extreme Ways (Jason Bourne)", was recorded for the film's end credits.

text:
"I Remember Everything" – 2:04
"Backdoor Breach" – 3:50
"Converging in Athens" – 4:13
"Motorcycle Chase" – 6:53
"A Key to the Past" – 2:37
"Berlin" – 2:02
"Decrypted" – 5:34
"Flat Assault" – 2:39
"Paddington Plaza" – 6:46
"White Van Plan" – 2:49
"Las Vegas" – 3:48
"Following the Target" – 3:29
"Strip Chase" – 4:59
"An Interesting Proposal" – 2:13
"Let Me Think About It" – 2:24
"Extreme Ways (Jason Bourne)" by Moby – 4:56

text: Reception[edit]

text: Box office[edit]

text: Jason Bourne became a commercial success, with a modest budget compared to its final gross.[33] The film grossed $162.4 million in the United States and Canada and $253.1 million in other countries for a worldwide total of $415.5 million, against a production budget of $120 million.[2] The film passed the $400 million threshold on October 7, making it the second film in the Bourne franchise to reach this milestone and the second highest-grossing film in the series behind The Bourne Ultimatum.[34] Worldwide, the film opened at number one in 50 markets, scoring the biggest debut in the franchise in 53 markets. In 51 territories, Jason Bourne is the highest-grossing film in the franchise.[34] It is the third highest-grossing film of 2016 (behind Warcraft and The Mermaid) that does not involve comic book superheroes or anthropomorphic animals at its center (including The Jungle Book).[33]

text: In the United States and Canada, Jason Bourne was projected to gross $50–60 million in its opening weekend.[35][36][37] It made $4.2 million from Thursday night previews at 2,928 theaters which began at 7:00pm, becoming the first film in the series to earn above $1 million from previews, although the other four films' screenings began at midnight.[38][39] On its opening day it grossed $22.8 million, which is the second biggest opening day of the series behind The Bourne Ultimatum ($24.6 million).[40] It topped the box office in its opening weekend as expected with a $59.2 million opening, making it one of the few franchise titles from 2016 to open on par with its predecessor. It is the second biggest opening for the franchise as well as for Damon, just behind the $69 million debut of The Bourne Ultimatum in 2007.[41][42] The film dropped by 71% on its second Friday ($6.5 million) as a result of the release of the superhero film Suicide Squad. By comparison, the last four Bourne movies all dropped (respectively) 46%, 59%, 57% and 61% on their second Fridays.[43] In its second weekend the film grossed $22.7 million (a drop of 61.6%), finishing second at the box office.[44]

text: Internationally, Jason Bourne is the highest-grossing film among the series[45] and has secured a release in a total of 78 countries.[46] The film opened day-and-date in conjuncture with its North American release across 46 territories, including Australia, Brazil, South Korea and the U.K. and Ireland.[47] It grossed $22.8 million on its opening day, marking the biggest international opening day for the franchise. It had No. 1 opening days in 28 markets and recorded the biggest opening day for the franchise in the United Kingdom and Ireland ($5.2 million).[48] Through Sunday, July 31, it had an opening weekend total of $50.7 million easily topping the box office as well as debuting at first place in 27 of the 48 markets and scored the best international opening for the franchise.[46] After three weeks of fluctuating up and down the charts, it rose back to the top spot in its fourth weekend after a strong debut in China.[49]

text: It recorded the biggest opening for the franchise in South Korea ($11.3 million), the United Kingdom ($10.2 million), Australia ($5.8 million) Japan ($4.4 milliin) and Russia ($2.1 million) and had number one openings in France ($3.4 million), Australia, Taiwan ($2 million), Spain ($1.9 million), Indonesia ($1.7 million), the Philippines ($1.5 million) the Netherlands ($1.5 million), Mexico ($1.5 million), the UAE ($1.2 million), Sweden ($1.1 million) and Singapore ($1.1 million).[46][49][50][51][52]

text: Brazil was one of the markets that did not open in first place, instead opening in fourth place with $1.4 million. South Korea posted the biggest opening among all other countries and although it faced stiff competition from local titles – Operation Chromite and Train to Busan – debuted in third place. Its opening figure is nevertheless a franchise milestone and comes ahead of competitions like Spectre and Furious 7.[46] Similarly, in the United Kingdom and Ireland, it finished in second place after facing competition with the animated Finding Dory. It had a £7.6 million ($10 million) debut including £2.29 million ($3 million) worth of previews from 563 theaters, a new record for the franchise. However, based on pure Friday to Sunday earnings with the exclusion of previews, the film's £5.31 ($6.98 million) is more or less at par with The Bourne Ultimatum's £5.31 million ($7 million).[46][53] In just 10 days, it became the second highest-grossing film in the series there.[54] In India, it debuted in second place for a non-local film behind Suicide Squad with $1.1 million.[55]

text: In China, the film was released on Tuesday, August 23, alongside the animated Ice Age: Collision Course and received an exclusive 3D version.[56] It grossed an estimated $12.3 million on its opening day to record the franchise's best opening day there (other Chinese sources had it at $11.8 million[56]). By comparison, The Bourne Legacy made $12.7 there in four days.[57] In three days, it earned $25.1 million.[56] In total, it delivered a six-day opening weekend total of an estimated $49.1 million – and a Friday to Sunday total of $23.9 million – to record the biggest opening for the franchise there. Its opening numbers alone surpassed the lifetime total of all other Jason Bourne films there.[49][58][59] While it had a robust opening, compared to other Hollywood films that also opened on a Tuesday, such as Mission: Impossible – Rogue Nation (Friday +18%, Saturday +68%) and Avengers: Age of Ultron (Friday +37%, Saturday +88%), Jason Bourne's box office jumps on its first Friday and Saturday were just 13% and 43% respectively.[60] Following a first-place finish, it fell precipitously by 92% in its second weekend, earning $3.8 million.[51] China Film Insider projected that the film will end its run with a total of around $82 million, and also pointed out that had Universal not scheduled its release with Ice Age: Collision Course, the film could've grossed over $100 million.[60] But the film ended up making $66.3 million.[34]

text: Following North America and China, the U.K. is the film's top earning international market with $30.4 million, followed by South Korea with $19.1 million and Australia with $16.7 million and France with $11.6 million.[34]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: Jason Bourne received mixed reviews from critics. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes gave the film an approval rating of 55% based on 271 reviews, with a weighted average score of 5.9/10. The site's critical consensus states, "Jason Bourne delivers fans of the franchise more of what they've come to expect – which is this sequel's biggest selling point as well as its greatest flaw."[61] Metacritic gave the film a normalized score of 58 out of 100, based on 50 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[62] Audiences polled by CinemaScore gave the film an average grade of "A–" on an A+ to F scale.[63]

text: Mike Ryan of Uproxx gave the film a mixed review, writing: "Jason Bourne is a completely unnecessary sequel that barely moves along the plot from the third movie. And after what a Big Deal it was in The Bourne Legacy that no one could find Jason Bourne, it does feel a bit weird that the return of Jason Bourne seems so anticlimactic."[64] Chris Tilly of IGN gave the film 7/10, saying: "Jason Bourne has a passable plot and a couple of pulsating sequences, which already makes it better than the majority of action movies. But in the context of its predecessors, that isn’t good enough, the new movie never fully escaping the shadow of that previous trilogy, and making you question the wisdom of drawing Bourne back out of the shadows at all."[65]

text: A. O. Scott of The New York Times described Damon's performance as being "as subdued as ever" and said: "[t]his is perhaps the most striking feature of Jason Bourne: Virtually all the major characters — good, bad and in-between — work for the same organization, at least on a consulting basis. There are dark whispers about external threats, and invocations of the tension between security and privacy in the digital age, but geopolitics and technology are scaffolding for what is essentially a movie about human resources challenges in a large bureaucracy."[66] Peter Debruge of Variety said, "[i]n many ways, Jason Bourne is the most unsettling movie in the series, seeing as it points to a vast conspiracy directed at the American people, and Greengrass’ style — rendered visceral via the marriage of Barry Ackroyd's on-the-fly lensing, a tense techno score, and Rouse's cutting-room trickery — lends itself nicely to an era in which shadow forces rely on such tools as satellite surveillance and facial-recognition software." He went on by saying, "just as the initial Damon-driven trilogy wrapped up Bourne's business but left us wanting more, this sequel offers closure even as it entices us with the possibility of his return."[67]

text: Richard Roeper of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3½ stars out of 4, describing Damon's performance as being, "outstanding as the tightly wound, perpetually restless and conflicted Jason Bourne, who is practically a superhero when it comes to fighting but is utterly lost the rest of the time", and said: "Jason Bourne is the best action thriller of the year so far, with a half-dozen terrific chase sequences and fight scenes. At one point the action swings to Vegas, and while some of what transpires is almost cartoonishly over-the-top, it's great fun."[68] Todd McCarthy of The Hollywood Reporter found the film's conclusion and the characters distasteful, writing: "unfortunately, then, the film ends on a flat, unimpressive note, as well as with the realization that, no matter how much time we've spent with them, the characters remain utterly one-dimensional", but went on by saying, "technically and logistically, Greengrass delivers everything you expect from him; there's no one better when it comes to staging complex, chaotic action amid the real life of big cities. As before, cinematographer Barry Ackroyd is a great asset in this regard, and all production and effects hands join seamlessly in the achieved goal of physical verisimilitude."[69]

text: Accolades[edit]

text:
List of awards and nominations

Award
Date of ceremony
Category
Recipient(s)
Result
Ref(s)

Critics' Choice Awards
December 11, 2016
Best Action Movie
Jason Bourne
Nominated
[70]

Best Actor in an Action Movie
Matt Damon
Nominated

Empire Awards
March 19, 2017
Best Thriller
Jason Bourne
Won
[71]

London Film Critics' Circle
January 22, 2017
Technical Achievement
Gary Powell
Nominated
[72]

Saturn Awards
June 28, 2017
Best Thriller Film
Jason Bourne
Nominated
[73]

Screen Actors Guild Awards
January 29, 2017
Outstanding Performance by a Stunt Ensemble in a Motion Picture
The stunt ensemble of Jason Bourne
Nominated
[74]

St. Louis Gateway Film Critics Association
December 18, 2016
Best Action Movie
Jason Bourne
Nominated
[75]

Teen Choice Awards
July 31, 2016
Choice AnTEENcipated Movie
Jason Bourne
Nominated
[76]

Choice Movie Actor: AnTEENcipated
Matt Damon
Nominated

Choice Movie Actress: AnTEENcipated
Alicia Vikander
Nominated

Visual Effects Society Awards
February 7, 2017
Outstanding Supporting Visual Effects in a Photoreal Feature
Dan Barrow, Huw Evans, Julian Gnass, Charlie Noble and Steve Warner
Nominated
[77]

Washington D.C. Area Film Critics Association
December 5, 2016
Best Portrayal of Washington D.C.
Jason Bourne
Nominated
[78]

text: Sequel[edit]

text: Frank Marshall said Universal Pictures is hoping to plan a sequel to Jason Bourne, making it the sixth Bourne film. He also stated that an upcoming film would expand the Bourne universe.[79] However, in March 2017, Matt Damon cast doubt upon a sequel, hinting that people "might be done" with the character.[80]


document_title: Devil (2010 film)

question_text: who is the killer in the movie devil

question_tokens: who is the killer in the movie devil

root

text: Devil (2010 film)

text: Plot[edit]

text: Ramirez (Jacob Vargas) speaks in a voice-over about stories that his mother told him about the devil sometimes actively seeking out individuals who have sinned while they are still alive on Earth. While taking human form, he traps them in a confined place only to turn them against each other, before killing them one at a time. Ramirez explains that the last victim will die in front of his or her loved one to "make cynics of us all". He says that the signs are set in motion with a suicide, as that is when the Devil first makes his presence known. This story is abruptly interrupted by a violent suicide of a man who had fallen from the thirty-fifth floor of a Philadelphia office building. The truck he falls on rolls silently away.

tag: p

text: Detective Bowden (Chris Messina) is a recovering alcoholic who is assigned to the case of the suicide. He later explains that the reason for his alcoholism was the hit and run death of his wife and son, five years previously, in which the perpetrator was never apprehended. Meanwhile, five strangers board an elevator, which later becomes stuck between floors. When security finds them, they notice that there is CCTV and a radio with which they can call into the elevator, but they have no way of hearing the passengers in return. Bowden takes the investigation regarding the elevator as it is the same building from which the suicide victim jumped.

text: Ramirez is revealed to be one of the security guards and is disturbed by an image of what looks like a screaming face frozen on the video monitor. His boss Lustig (Matt Craven) dismisses the superstitious suspicions and sends repair technician Dwight (Joe Cobden) to investigate the elevators while Bowden tries to ascertain the identities of the individuals. Only four of the five are accounted for: Vince McCormick (Geoffrey Arend), a sleazy mattress salesman; Sarah Caraway (Bojana Novakovic), a pathological liar who plans to leave her rich husband and take his money with her; Ben Larson (Bokeem Woodbine), a temporary security guard with a history of violence; an unnamed older woman who police mistakenly believe is named Jane Kowski (Jenny O'Hara) who is seen on video to be a thief, and another man who later introduces himself as Tony (Logan Marshall-Green), who does not appear to have signed in at the security desk.

text: The power goes on and off in the elevator, and each time the power is restored, something evil takes place. Dwight falls to his death on top of the elevator, and Lustig is electrocuted trying to restore power. Soon people in the elevator start dying, and the suspicion keeps shifting between all in the elevator. Vince is thrown into a mirror only to have his jugular vein sliced causing him to bleed to death, the old woman is hanged on a lamp cord from the elevator ceiling, Ben winds up on the floor with his neck twisted, and Sarah's throat is slit by a broken piece of the mirror. Finally, the old woman seemingly returns to life, but with red, staring eyes; it is revealed that she is the Devil, and that she has come for Tony and Sarah. In order to save Sarah, Tony confesses to having been responsible for a hit-and-run five years ago in which he killed a mother and her son. Detective Bowden hears him apologize over the radio. The Devil, powerless now that Tony has repented for his sin, curses before vanishing, and the elevator comes back online, sparing Tony's life.

text: As the corpses of Sarah, Ben, and Vince are wheeled away, Bowden decides to take Tony into custody, and, while en route, informs him that he is the husband and father of the mother and son Tony killed in that accident. But despite saying he'd gone over what he'd say, or what he would do if they'd ever cross paths, he forgives Tony.

text: Ramirez, again in a voice-over, says that his mother always reassured him at the end of her stories, "If the Devil is real, then God must be real too."

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Chris Messina as Detective Bowden
Logan Marshall-Green as Mechanic (Anthony "Tony" Janekowski)
Jenny O'Hara as Old Woman
Bojana Novakovic as Young Woman (Sarah Caraway)
Bokeem Woodbine as Guard (Ben Larson)
Geoffrey Arend as Salesman (Vince McCormick)
Jacob Vargas as Ramirez
Matt Craven as Lustig
Joshua Peace as Detective Markowitz
Caroline Dhavernas as Elsa Nahai
Joe Cobden as Dwight
Zoie Palmer as Cheryl
Vincent Laresca as Henry
Mark Behar as Security - Elevator (voice)

tag: ul

text: Production[edit]

text: In October 2008 M. Night Shyamalan and Media Rights Capital announced that Devil would be made with the Dowdle brothers as directors and Brian Nelson as screenwriter.[2] Filming started on October 26, 2009 in Toronto with John Erick Dowdle as director and Drew Dowdle as an executive producer.[3] There was additional shooting for the film several months later in Los Angeles and Philadelphia.[4] Joe Cobden had to train for four months to prepare for his role. He said that preparing for his death scene, which took four days to shoot, was the hardest scene to shoot except for the introduction and closing.

text: Story sources[edit]

text: John Erick Dowdle and Drew Dowdle said that the movie is based on a Devil's Meeting, which is a premise that the Devil is on Earth to test evildoers by tormenting them.[5] Shyamalan acknowledged that the basic structure of the story was "an Agatha Christie nod."[6] In Christie's 1939 novel And Then There Were None, as in Devil, a group of people with guilty pasts are trapped in an isolated area and begin to die one by one.[citation needed]

text: Release[edit]

text: The film was set to have a release date on February 11, 2011, but was bumped up to September 17, 2010. The film's trailer debuted online on July 13, 2010.

text: Critical reception[edit]

text: The film was not screened to critics in advance.[7] Devil has received mixed reviews. Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reports a mixed score of 52%, with an average rating of 5.2/10, with the site's consensus being "It's better than many of the other films M. Night Shyamalan has been associated with, but Devil never gets more than a few low-budget thrills out of its fiendishly promising premise."[8] Dennis Harvey of Variety gave Devil a lukewarm review, saying "Like the solid B-thrillers of yore that often outshone A-pics topping double bills, M. Night Shyamalan-produced Devil is nothing very special or original, but it gets the job done briskly and economically."[9]

text: Home media[edit]

text: The film Devil was released to DVD and Blu-ray Disc on December 21, 2010.[citation needed]

text: Sequels[edit]

text: Devil was intended to be the first of The Night Chronicles trilogy,[10] which involved the supernatural within modern urban society. In June 2010, Shyamalan announced the second film titled 12 Strangers, later changed to Reincarnate. The film was about a jury discussing a case dealing with the supernatural. Chris Sparling was set to write the script and Daniel Stamm would direct.[11] Shyamalan also confirmed that the story for the currently untitled third installment was going to be taken from the abandoned sequel to Unbreakable.[12] As of 2017, neither film has been produced, but his unused Unbreakable sequel idea later became the basis for Split.


document_title: House of Cards (season 5)

question_text: when was season 5 of house of cards made

text: House of Cards (season 5)

text: Production[edit]

text: Casting began for the season on June 17, 2016.[1] Filming had begun by July 20, 2016,[2] and finished by February 14, 2017.[3]

text: On January 28, 2016, Netflix renewed House of Cards for a fifth season. It was also announced that series creator Beau Willimon would step down as showrunner following the fourth season.[4] It was announced in February 2016 that Melissa James Gibson and Frank Pugliese, who both joined the show in the third season, would serve as co-showrunners for the fifth season,[5] which was released on May 30, 2017.[6] In October 2016, it was announced that Patricia Clarkson and Campbell Scott had been cast for the fifth season.[7] The first trailer for the season was released on May 1, 2017.[8]

text: Cast[edit]

text:
Kevin Spacey as Francis "Frank" J. Underwood, the President of the United States[9]
Robin Wright as Claire Underwood, First Lady of the United States, former United States Ambassador to the United Nations, Democratic Vice Presidential Nominee, Vice President of the United States and the President of the United States[9]
Michael Kelly as Douglas "Doug" Stamper, the White House Chief of Staff[9]
Campbell Scott as Mark Usher,[10] top-level Republican campaign adviser and strategist
Patricia Clarkson as Jane Davis,[10] Deputy Under Secretary of Commerce for International Trade
Paul Sparks as Thomas Yates,[9] speechwriter and Claire Underwood's lover
Derek Cecil as Seth Grayson,[11] the White House Press Secretary
Neve Campbell as LeAnn Harvey,[9] a Texas-based political consultant, the Underwood campaign manager
Joel Kinnaman as Will Conway, the Republican nominee for president and Governor of New York[9]
Dominique McElligott as Hannah Conway,[9] wife of New York Governor and Republican presidential nominee Will Conway
Boris McGiver as Tom Hammerschmidt, an editor at The Washington Herald and Lucas Goodwin's former boss
Korey Jackson as Sean Jeffries, a young reporter at The Washington Herald working under Hammerschmidt
Jayne Atkinson as Catherine Durant, Secretary of State[11]
Colm Feore as General Ted Brockhart, Republican Vice-Presidential Nominee
Damian Young as Aidan Macallan, a data scientist and NSA contractor who is friends with LeAnn Harvey
James Martinez as Alex Romero, a Democratic congressman from Arizona
Michel Gill as Garrett Walker, the former President of the United States and Frank's predecessor
Gerald McRaney as Raymond Tusk, former associate of President Walker's and Frank's adversary
Larry Pine as Bob Birch, the House Minority Leader and a Democratic U.S. Representative from Michigan
Curtiss Cook as Terry Womack, the House Minority Whip
Lars Mikkelsen as Viktor Petrov, the President of the Russian Federation
Wendy Moniz as Laura Moretti, widow of a liver transplant candidate
Reed Birney as Donald Blythe, the Vice President of the United States
Malcolm Madera as Eric Rawlings, a Civil War reenactor and personal trainer
Kate Lyn Sheil as Lisa Williams, a girlfriend of Rachel Posner's before Rachel's death
Jeremy Holm as Agent Nathan Green, the Deputy Director of the FBI
Kim Dickens as Kate Baldwin, a journalist and former White House Correspondent for the Wall Street Telegraph
Dan Ziskie as Jim Matthews, former Vice President of the United States and Governor of Pennsylvania.

text: Episodes[edit]

text:
No.
overall
No. in
season
Title
Directed by
Written by
Original release date
Prod.
code

53
1
"Chapter 53"
Daniel Minahan
Frank Pugliese
May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
HOC-501

Chaos erupts when Frank steals the floor of the House and demands that Congress formally declare war on ICO. When the Speaker insists that Frank yield the floor, he insists that he "will not yield." Later, Frank and Claire attend Jim Miller's funeral, which is also attended by Will Conway and his wife. During the service, Jim's daughter Melissa blames Frank for the death of her father, before whispering something in his ear. Claire appears on Charlie Rose to debate Hammerschmidt, who claims that Frank's war on ICO is a diversion. Meanwhile, Conway goes into damage control when his wife claims that the mother of Josh Masterson is a victim, too. Claire speaks with Ms. Masterson and asks that she tell her son to surrender. The manhunt for Masterson heats up as the FBI closes in on a location on the Virginia border. However, Frank has been holding Masterson captive in an unknown location and has him summarily executed, informing the press that he "wishes" Masterson had been taken alive. Frank calls to speak with the Millers, but Jim's widow hangs up on him. Afterwards, Frank and Claire greet people outside the White House, telling them they have nothing to be afraid of.

54
2
"Chapter 54"
Daniel Minahan
Melissa James Gibson
May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
HOC-502

At an event in New York City, Claire is informed that one of Frank's old friends has gone missing and is presumed dead. Meanwhile, Frank hosts a luncheon of the nation's governors, seeking to gain the support of the governors from five critical swing states. Catherine Durant states her opposition to Frank's "war" on terror, while Donald Blythe believes it has helped his poll numbers. Meanwhile, Aidan Macallan attempts to hack into a telecom switching center and delete everything that may implicate him and the Underwoods. As Aidan nervously awaits the file deletion, electronic devices around the Washington, D.C. area are affected in what Frank claims is an ICO cyber attack. He uses the incident to pressure Congress to accept his declaration of war. Meanwhile, Conway takes his kids trick-or-treating, but as the military mobilizes in response to the cyber attack, he has an outburst on live TV which Frank and Claire drink to.

55
3
"Chapter 55"
Alik Sakharov
John Mankiewicz
May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
HOC-503

The day before the 2016 election, Conway holds a 24-hour live-stream call-in with voters and is asked a question by someone who knows about his time in the military; Hannah insists that Will is too humble to discuss the topic. While Claire and Frank campaign together in Pennsylvania, Doug confronts Governor Matthews for not following through with establishing voting centers or bringing in the National Guard. Back in D.C., Cathy alerts Frank to a Syrian national with strong ICO connections named Mohammad Kalabi. With Conway getting all the publicity, Frank calls into the 24-hour live stream and tells Conway that he can ask him any question he wants. Will responds by asking why he was never given a chance to complete the mission and save Mr. Miller after successfully negotiating the release of Miller's wife and daughter. Frank says the terrorists could tell Conway was weak, meaning Frank had to step in and take control. Frank's last-minute call grabs the morning headlines. However, the Underwoods are given worrying news: voter turnout is unsettlingly low across the country. Frank, however, insists that they are not going anywhere.

56
4
"Chapter 56"
Alik Sakharov
Kenneth Lin
May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
HOC-504

On Election Day, voter turnout for Frank and Claire is low, and the polls are working in Conway's favor, yet he remains cautious. Frank calls the governor of Tennessee and tells him that the home of a suspected terrorist has been raided and a plot to bomb the state's polling stations has been uncovered, urging him to shut them down. A riot caused by a bomb-sniffing dog occurs at one Tennessee polling station and injures several people. Frank is able to convince the governor to halt voting and declare a state of emergency. A curfew is enacted, much to Conway's dismay. Amid terrorist threats, the governor of Ohio calls Frank and says he is considering closing down polling stations, while Frank adamantly tells him not to, pretending that he doesn’t want that to happen. After Conway wins the state of Pennsylvania, Frank calls him to concede the election, but slyly says to the camera audience, "What, do you think I learned nothing from Al Gore?" In the wake of the call, Conway, his wife Hannah, and some of his advisers are elated, but his campaign manager Mark Usher remains skeptical. Several hours pass and Frank has yet to publicly announce his concession, frustrating Conway. At that moment, the governor of Ohio makes a national TV broadcast to announce he felt he had no choice to close the Ohio polls due to the potential terror threat and that the results are not certifiable as a result. Several more states hold their election results as well, thereby leaving the election contested. In the Oval Office, Frank and Claire discuss remaining in power for decades to come.

57
5
"Chapter 57"
Michael Morris
Laura Eason
May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
HOC-505

Nine weeks have passed since the unresolved election, which will now be decided by a contingent election in the House. A frustrated Conway believes he was fairly elected, and begins to show signs of a potential breakdown. Despite Frank's approval rating falling to 19%, Claire says they are done winning the American people and must now win over Congress. Hammerschmidt meets with Lisa Williams to discuss information regarding Doug, but he is hesitant to believe her. Frank talks to convince Alex Romero, a Democratic congressman, to sway other House Democrats to vote for him. Aidan, who had previously gone missing, calls LeAnn to tell her that he will leak incriminating information on the Underwoods if she doesn't get the authorities off his back. While LeAnn is able to flip a vote from Maine, Doug fails to win New Hampshire. On the day of the vote, Claire asks Donald to prevent a filibuster and keep Republicans off the floor. When he refuses, Claire begins insulting him and his late wife. Neither Conway nor Frank receive the 26 votes in the House needed to win, meaning that the Senate's vice presidential selection between Claire and General Ted Brockhart will assume the duties of the Presidency until the House votes again. Claire, alone in the White House residence, walks toward the camera and briefly looks directly at the camera audience as the episode ends.

58
6
"Chapter 58"
Michael Morris
Bill Kennedy
May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
HOC-506

Claire becomes Acting President of the United States until the House votes again. Frank congratulates her on the position, even if it's just for a few weeks. Durant informs the Underwoods that a research facility in Antarctica has been taken over by an unidentified military group, suspecting the Russians. Meanwhile, it appears that Aidan has been kidnapped and may be forced to reveal secrets. Conway's campaign manager Mark Usher is able to secure a meeting for Conway with the Congressional Black Caucus, in the hopes they will consider supporting him instead of Frank, but the meeting goes very poorly. On a private plane back to New York, an exasperated Conway finally cracks under the pressure and curses out Usher, threatening to leave him on the tarmac upon arrival, then berates the pilots for not allowing him to fly the plane and declares maniacally that he will be President. Sean visits Lisa then tells Hammerschmidt, who fires him after discovering that Sean looked through his notes. He later investigates the death of Zoe Barnes. To avoid a mixed-ticket White House, Frank and Claire are able to convince Usher to support new elections in Ohio and Tennessee, so long as the Speaker approves. Claire, Frank, and Cathy learn it is the Russians who have kidnapped Aidan.

59
7
"Chapter 59"
Alik Sakharov
Tian Jun Gu
May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
HOC-507

Claire and Frank argue over Mark Usher and are briefed in the Situation Room about the potential location of Ahmed Al Ahmadi, the leader of ICO. The generals believe Ahmed is in Damascus, but they’re divided on how to approach the situation. Hammerschmidt continues his investigation into Rachel Posner and her possible connection to Doug. Claire holds a meeting with Cathy and Jane Davis, but the three are moved to a bunker underground when a truck carrying radioactive material is missing. Doug calls LeAnn and Seth from the bunker, telling them to keep calm. Frank and Claire question Jane's security clearance. Doug informs Frank of a hot-mic recording where Brockhart says he’d actively tell his troops to disobey orders if Frank put them on the borders of Syria. Frank leaves the bunker and accuses Brockhart of orchestrating a fake terrorist threat in order to make them evacuate D.C. and effectively stage a coup d'etat to sabotage his election; after Brockhart names the general behind the plot, the truck is "found." The general is forced to resign, but not before telling Claire that neither she nor her husband deserve to be in the White House. The next day, the Underwoods accuse Usher of being involved in the incident, playing the Brockhart audio tape. When Usher insists he stop, Frank says "it gets so much better".

60
8
"Chapter 60"
Roxann Dawson
John Mankiewicz
May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
HOC-508

Frank attends an elite weekend retreat to firm up support for the upcoming elections in Ohio and Tennessee. Among the attendees are Usher, Brockhart, Raymond Tusk, and Benjamin Grant, the head of Pollyhop. Claire is awakened in the middle of the night and hurried into the Situation Room, informed that a Russian research vessel carrying 100 people is sinking in the Antarctic. The next morning, Frank and Brockhart chat about the Al Ahmadi situation. After negotiating trade deals with China, Jane reveals to Claire that they are willing to aid the rescue, as there’s an American aboard the Russian ship. Claire asks for proof of the American's presence before moving forward. In the woods, Frank contacts Doug and tells him that Brockhart is making a deal with Tusk, and orders Doug to stop it. Frank remembers something that Tusk mentioned ("A little restraint would be unexpected") and tells Doug not to act on it. Claire plays hard ball with China on the rescue operation and a trade deal. Though China is hesitant at first, the rescue mission goes through and China gets credit, but the lost American is not found. On his way out, Grant gives Frank a recording of Conway's tirade on the plane. The next day, Frank and Claire meet with Usher in the Oval Office and inform him of the recording. With that leverage, the Underwoods are able to recruit Usher, who advises them how to release the recording.

61
9
"Chapter 61"
Roxann Dawson
Bill Kennedy
May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
HOC-509

After winning the Ohio election, Frank becomes President-elect of the United States. Frank offers Conway a menial position when he calls to concede, prompting Conway to curse him. Frank and Claire celebrate with champagne in the Oval Office. Doug believes it is unwise to allow LeAnn and Usher into the administration; Frank agrees that LeAnn's connection to Aidan is worrisome, but Usher should stay. Meanwhile, LeAnn has lunch with Kate Baldwin, revealing she is being kicked out because Aidan stole NSA files and might leak classified material in Russia. Tom informs Claire that he is finished being her speechwriter. Romero threatens the Underwoods, saying he will convince Congress to reopen the Declaration of War Committee to investigate them. He demands two seats on the dais at Frank's inauguration and a line in the inaugural address about Medicare. Frank is sworn in, but his address does not address Romero or his concerns. Aidan unwillingly agrees to do an interview in Russia with Kate. However, he calls LeAnn, who tells him policemen have come to arrest him. During the inaugural ball, Frank and Eric Rawlings, the civil war re-enactor and personal trainer, share a darkly intimate moment. In the halls of the West Wing, Frank tells Claire that Congress is reopening its investigation into Frank. As the party breaks up, Frank blackmails Tom and tells him not to cheat on Claire again. Meanwhile, Hammerschmidt contacts Zoe's father, who reluctantly meets with him and says he had no idea that Zoe was in trouble. LeAnn, under the impression that giving up Aidan would save her job, is shocked when Doug fires her. In the Oval Office, Claire and Frank meet with Jane. Frank says he wants Aidan back on American soil.

62
10
"Chapter 62"
Agnieszka Holland
Kenneth Lin
May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
HOC-510

As Frank discovers Jackie Sharp will be testifying before the Declaration of War Committee, Claire is informed that the American from the Antarctic expedition froze to death. Claire wants the body to get lost in transit. With Romero heading the committee, Frank tries to get in his good graces again by offering him the position of party whip. Romero, however, is not looking to negotiate. Jackie pleads the Fifth during her testimony. LeAnn becomes concerned about Aidan, who isn't willing to reveal what he told the Russians. Jane makes it clear that what is important is learning what Aidan divulged. She also informs the Underwoods that a gas attack is imminent in Homs, Syria, advising that they send in 30,000 troops after the attack and divert the committee's attention. When Frank and Claire tell Durant, she begins questioning the operation and later voices her protest to Jane. Doug confronts a frightened Lisa, who then calls Hammerschmidt and tells him about the encounter. LeAnn is confronted in a parking garage by Aidan, who is alive. The two share a close moment before he leaves. Frank is informed that Garrett Walker will be testifying. Though he is expected to plead the Fifth, tension arises when he and Frank meet before the hearing. Walker breaks his silence, revealing that it was Frank who got him involved in the Chinese money dealings. That night, LeAnn is given a voice recording revealing that Aidan has been murdered in his hotel room. Meanwhile, Jane shreds files regarding the dead Antarctic worker and Aidan.

63
11
"Chapter 63"
Agnieszka Holland
Laura Eason
May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
HOC-511

On MSNBC, Seth and Hammerschmidt debate Walker's credibility in the wake of his testimony. Frank, Claire, Doug, and Usher discuss impeachment and the idea of censure, which Frank and Doug oppose. The next day, Hammerschmidt discovers leaked information that the White House staged the terrorist threat on Election Day. Seth panics in his office, while Frank discusses spying on all White House personnel to identify the leaker. While alone one night in the White House residence, Claire truly breaks the fourth wall for the first time in the series, and speaks directly to the camera audience, telling them that she has always known they have been there, but she is suspicious of them and their intentions, and that she is "ambivalent about attention." The FBI tells LeAnn that Aidan's death looked like a suicide, but the gun is missing. Meanwhile, Claire tells Tom she wants him to leave. Frank is confronted by Bob Birch and Terry Womack, who want Frank to consider resignation. Frank is speechless, partially because Womack himself is under investigation. Doug spies on West Wing staffers and is intrigued when LeAnn receives something unknown from Aidan. After confessing to Laura Moretti that he is the reason her husband died, Doug goes to LeAnn's apartment and the two have sex. An article drops the next day reporting that a source within the White House confirmed that Frank used questionable intelligence to close polling stations during the election. Frank confronts Cathy about this; she is cooperating with Romero. Frank later states that he believes Cathy is the leak, and that he has held on to her resignation. News breaks that Cathy will testify before the committee. An unknown source gives Hammerschimdt a "birthday card" containing a USB flash drive.

64
12
"Chapter 64"
Robin Wright
Frank Pugliese & Melissa James Gibson
May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
HOC-512

In the Executive Residence, Frank tries to dissuade Cathy Durant from testifying before the committee, but she adamantly refuses his request. On her way out, Frank then pushes her down a flight of stairs, knocking her unconscious, and calls for help, claiming she's fallen. Cathy is hospitalized and thus prevented from testifying. Frank holds a press conference in the Oval Office regarding the Syrian gas bombings. However, reporters ask him about the growing possibility of impeachment. Frank is informed that Hammerschmidt is investigating Zoe's death and believes that it was not an accident. Needing to focus attention away from them, Frank and Claire agree that someone must take the fall for this alleged investigation. The next night, Claire and Frank hold a dinner for Doug, where they try to convince him to take the blame for Zoe's murder. Though initially off-put, Doug goes to LeAnn and "confesses" to the murder, though she doesn't believe him. It is revealed that Doug is in possession of birthday cards similar to those sent to Hammerschmidt. Claire discovers that Tom has been continuing his manuscript, which includes her confessions about the deaths of Zoe and Peter Russo. She goes to visit Tom to convince him not to publish his recent work, but he refuses and threatens to blackmail her. Claire and Tom have sex, but he suddenly dies from poison Claire had put in his whiskey. Mark then comes home the next morning and discovers his body, whereupon he is forced to quietly "dispose" of it. LeAnn and Nathan Green give their testimony. Frank, watching, debates whether he should testify as well. While he is urged not to, Frank goes to the committee, and while he claims to have done nothing wrong, he accuses the committee of trying to sabotage his presidency and that he respects the office too much to allow the investigation to go on. As a result, he announces he will resign the following day.

65
13
"Chapter 65"
Robin Wright
Melissa James Gibson & Frank Pugliese
May 30, 2017 (2017-05-30)
HOC-513

Claire protests Frank's resignation, but he concludes it's the best outcome for everyone. Frank reveals that he has been planning this since the weekend retreat before the Ohio and Tennessee elections, where he concluded that the real power is not in who occupies the White House, but who “owns” it. He reveals he is behind the leaks to Hammerschmidt. Claire then confesses to him that she has killed Tom Yates and that there is no way it will lead back to them. After Frank resigns, Claire is sworn in and assumes the presidency, whereupon she leads an operation to track down Yusef Al-Ahmadhi, the elusive ICO terrorist plaguing the U.S. Doug gets interviewed by Hammerschmidt, who is continuing his investigation into Zoe's death. LeAnn is appointed as Claire’s Chief of Staff with the agreement that she turn over everything she knew about Aidan to Jane. However, shortly after she does so, Claire, Davis and Usher claim that the impending war means a more experienced Chief of Staff is needed, and LeAnn is presumably fired or forced to resign. That night, on her way to meet with Doug, LeAnn’s car is run off the road and she is presumed dead. Seth is also replaced at Claire's behest. Frank asks for a public pardon from Claire for both him and Doug. She agrees to do so in her upcoming TV broadcast, but tells Frank that for their secret arrangement to work, he has to leave the White House and make it appear that they are estranged. Frank reluctantly does so. That night, Claire gives her first televised address as the new President, informing the nation that they have killed Ahmadhi and that the U.S. is going to war with ICO. However, she gives no mention of a pardon to Frank or Doug, despite having agreed to do so. Frank, who has been watching the broadcast from his hotel room, angrily calls her to presumably demand an explanation, but Claire rejects the call, and stares towards the camera audience and coldly declares: "My turn."

tag: table

text: Reception[edit]

text: Critical response[edit]

text: On Rotten Tomatoes, the season has an approval rating of 72% based on 25 reviews, with an average rating of 7.3/10. The consensus reads, "House of Cards enjoys a confident return to form this season, though its outlandish edge is tempered slightly by the current political climate."[12] On Metacritic, the season has a score of 60 out of 100, based on 11 critics, indicating "mixed or average reviews".[13]

text: Accolades[edit]

text: House of Cards received four major nominations for the 69th Primetime Emmy Awards, including Outstanding Drama Series, Kevin Spacey for Outstanding Lead Actor in a Drama Series, Robin Wright for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series, and Michael Kelly for Outstanding Supporting Actor in a Drama Series.[14]


document_title: Pronucleus

question_text: the fusion of the male pronucleus and the female pronucleus results in development of

text: Pronucleus

text: A pronucleus (plural: pronuclei) is the nucleus of a sperm or an egg cell during the process of fertilization, after the sperm enters the ovum, but before the genetic material of the sperm and egg fuse. Sperm and egg cells are haploid, meaning they carry half the number of chromosomes of somatic cells. The male and female pronuclei don't fuse, although their genetic material does. Instead, their membranes dissolve, leaving no barriers between the male and female chromosomes. Their chromosomes can then combine and become part of a single diploid nucleus in the resulting embryo, containing a full set of chromosomes.

text: The appearance of two pronuclei is the first sign of successful fertilization as observed during in vitro fertilisation, and is usually observed 18 hours after insemination or ICSI. The zygote is then termed a two-pronuclear zygote (2PN). Two-pronuclear zygotes transitioning through 1PN or 3PN states tend to develop into poorer-quality embryos than ones who remain 2PN throughout development,[1] and may be significant in embryo selection in IVF.


document_title: Bovine serum albumin

question_text: why we use bsa as standard for protein estimation

text: Bovine serum albumin

text: Properties[edit]

text: The full-length BSA precursor protein is 607 amino acids (AAs) in length. An N-terminal 18-residue signal peptide is cut off from the precursor protein upon secretion, hence the initial protein product contains 589 amino acid residues. An additional four amino acids are cleaved to yield the mature BSA protein that contains 583 amino acids.[citation needed]

text:
Peptide
Position
Length (AAs)
MW Da

Full length precursor
 1 – 607
607
69,324

Signal peptide
 1 –  18
18
2,107

Propeptide
19 –  22
4
478

Mature protein
25 – 607
583
66,463

text: Physical properties of BSA:

text:
Number of amino acid residues: 583
Molecular weight: 66,463 Da (= 66.5 kDa)
isoelectric point in water at 25 °C: 4.7[1]
Extinction coefficient of 43,824 M−1cm−1 at 279 nm[2]
Dimensions: 140 × 40 × 40 Å (prolate ellipsoid where a = b < c)[3]
pH of 1% Solution: 5.2-7 [4][5]
Optical Rotation: [α]259: -61°; [α]264: -63°[4][5]
Stokes Radius (rs): 3.48 nm[6]
Sedimentation constant, S20,W × 1013: 4.5 (monomer), 6.7 (dimer)[4][5]
Diffusion constant, D20,W × 10−7 cm2/s: 5.9[4][5]
Partial specific volume, V20: 0.733[4][5]
Intrinsic viscosity, η: 0.0413[4][5]
Frictional ratio, f/f0: 1.30[4][5]
Refractive index increment (578 nm) × 10−3: 1.90[4][5]
Optical absorbance, A279 nm1 g/L: 0.667[4][5]
Mean residue rotation, [m']233: 8443[4][5]
Mean residue ellipticity: 21.1 [θ]209 nm; 20.1 [θ]222 nm[4][5]
Estimated a-helix, %: 54[4][5]
Estimated b-form, %: 18[4][5]

text: Applications[edit]

text: BSA has numerous biochemical applications including ELISAs (Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assay), immunoblots, and immunohistochemistry. Because BSA is a small, stable, moderately non-reactive protein, it is often used as a blocker in immunohistochemistry.[7] During immunohistochemistry, which is the process that uses antibodies to identify antigens in cells, tissue sections are often incubated with BSA blockers to bind nonspecific binding sites.[8][9] This binding of BSA to nonspecific binding sites increases the chance that the antibodies will bind only to the antigens of interest.[10] The BSA blocker improves sensitivity by decreasing background noise as the sites are covered with the moderately non-reactive protein.[11][12] During this process, minimization of nonspecific binding of antibodies is essential in order to acquire the highest signal to noise ratio.[11] BSA is also used as a nutrient in cell and microbial culture. In restriction digests, BSA is used to stabilize some enzymes during the digestion of DNA and to prevent adhesion of the enzyme to reaction tubes, pipet tips, and other vessels.[13] This protein does not affect other enzymes that do not need it for stabilization. BSA is also commonly used to determine the quantity of other proteins, by comparing an unknown quantity of protein to known amounts of BSA (see Bradford protein assay). BSA is used because of its ability to increase signal in assays, its lack of effect in many biochemical reactions, and its low cost, since large quantities of it can be readily purified from bovine blood, a byproduct of the cattle industry.


document_title: Colt AR-15

question_text: when was the ar 15 released to the public

text: Colt AR-15

text: History[edit]

text: Colt started selling the semi-automatic version of the M16 rifle as the Colt AR-15 in 1964.[1][2][3] The first mass production version was the Colt AR-15 Sporter, in .223 Remington, with a 20-inch barrel and issued with 5-round magazines.[2] Over the decades, Colt has made many different types of AR-15 rifle and carbine models, including the AR-15, AR-15A2, AR-15A3, AR-15A4, and many other models.

text: The AR-15 is frequently the target of those advocating restricting access to guns in the United States. Although the sale of new AR-15s was banned by the Federal Assault Weapons Ban from 1994 to 2004, Colt continued to sell legally compliant versions known collectively as "Colt Sporters" and "Colt Match Target rifles" during that period.[4]

text: Operating mechanism[edit]

text: U.S. Patent 2,951,424 describes the cycling mechanism used in the original AR-15. The bolt carrier acts as a movable cylinder and the bolt itself acts as a stationary piston. This mechanism is often called "direct gas impingement" (DGI), although it differs from prior gas systems. Designer Eugene Stoner did not consider the AR-15 to be a conventional direct impingement mechanism, but that is how it came to be characterized.[5]

text: Gas is tapped from the barrel as the bullet moves past a gas port located above the rifle's front sight base. The gas expands into the port and down a gas tube, located above the barrel that runs from the front sight base into the AR-15's upper receiver. Here, the gas tube protrudes into a "gas key" (bolt carrier key), which accepts the gas and funnels it into the bolt carrier. [6]

text: At this point, the bolt is locked into the barrel extension by locking lugs, so the expanding gas forces the bolt carrier backward a short distance. As the bolt carrier moves toward the butt of the gun, the bolt cam pin, riding in a slot on the bolt carrier, forces the bolt to rotate and thus unlocks it from the barrel extension. Once the bolt is fully unlocked it begins its rearward movement along with the bolt carrier. The bolt's rearward motion extracts the empty cartridge case from the chamber. As soon as the neck of the case clears the barrel extension, the bolt's spring-loaded ejector forces it out the ejection port in the side of the upper receiver.

text: Behind the bolt carrier is a plastic or metal buffer, which rests in line with a return spring. The buffer spring begins to push the bolt carrier and bolt back toward the chamber once it is compressed sufficiently. A groove machined into the upper receiver guides the bolt cam pin and prevents it and the bolt from rotating into a closed position. The bolt's locking lugs push a fresh round from the magazine as the bolt moves forward. The round is guided by feed ramps into the chamber. As the bolt's locking lugs move past the barrel extension, the cam pin twists into a pocket milled into the upper receiver. This twisting action follows the groove cut into the carrier and forces the bolt to twist and "lock" into the barrel extension.

text: Features[edit]

text: Upper receivers[edit]

text: The upper receiver incorporates the fore stock, the charging handle, the forward assist, the gas operating system, the barrel, the bolt and bolt carrier assembly. AR-15s employ a modular design. Thus one upper receiver can quickly and easily be substituted for another. Upper receivers are available with barrels of different weights, lengths, calibers, and rail systems with various sights and accessories. The standard AR-15 rifle uses a 20" barrel. Although, both shorter 16" carbine barrels and longer 24" target barrels are also available.

text: Early models had barrels with a 1:12 rate of twist for the original 223 Remington, 55 grain (3.6 g) bullets. Current models have barrels with a 1:9 or 1:7 twist rate for the 5.56×45mm NATO, 62 grain (4 g) bullets.

text: Lower receivers[edit]

text: The lower receiver incorporates the magazine well, the pistol grip, the buttstock, the buffer and the buffer spring. The lower receiver also contains the trigger, disconnector, hammer and fire selector (collectively known as the fire control group). Full-sized rifles use a fixed buttstock, while carbines generally use an adjustable telescoping buttstock.

text: The early commercial SP-1 AR-15s used a pair of .250" diameter receiver push pins, identical to those found on the military rifles. In 1966 the company replaced the front pin with a paired nut and screw hinge using a .315" diameter pin to prevent shooters from being able to change receivers with military rifles or competitor rifles without the use of an adapter. They resumed production with the smaller and standardized .250" pin in the mid-1990s.[7]

text: Sights[edit]

text: The AR-15's most distinctive ergonomic feature is the carrying handle and rear sight assembly on top of the receiver. This is a by-product of the original ArmaLite design, where the carry handle served to protect the charging handle.[8] As the line of sight is 2.5 in (63.5 mm) over the bore, the AR-15 has an inherent parallax problem. At closer ranges (typically inside 15–20 meters), the shooter must compensate by aiming high to place shots where desired. The standard AR-15 rifle has a 500 mm (19.75 inches) sight radius.[9] The AR-15 uses an L-type flip, aperture rear sight and it is adjustable with two settings, 0 to 300 meters and 300 to 400 meters.[10] The front sight is a post adjustable for elevation. The rear sight can be adjusted for windage. The sights can be adjusted with a bullet tip or pointed tool. The AR-15 can also mount a scope on the carrying handle. With the advent of the AR-15A2, a new fully adjustable rear sight was added, allowing the rear sight to be dialed in for specific range settings between 300 and 800 meters and to allow windage adjustments without the need of a tool or cartridge.[11] Current versions such as AR-15A4 have a detachable carrying handle and use Picatinny rails, which allows for the use of various scopes and sighting devices.

text: Muzzle devices[edit]

text: Colt AR-15 rifles most often have a barrel threaded in 1⁄2"-28 threads to incorporate the use of a muzzle device such as a flash suppressor, sound suppressor or muzzle brake. The initial design, the "duckbill," had three tines or prongs and was prone to breakage and getting entangled in vegetation. The design was later changed to close the end to avoid this problem. Eventually, on the A2 version of the rifle, the bottom port was closed to reduce muzzle climb and prevent dust from rising when the rifle was fired in the prone position.[12] For these reasons, the US military declared this muzzle device a compensator, but it is more commonly known as the "GI", "A2", or "Birdcage" muzzle device.[13] The standard AR15 muzzle device conforms to the STANAG dimensional requirements for firing 22mm rifle grenades.

text: Magazines[edit]

text: The Colt AR-15 uses 20- or 30-round staggered-column detachable box magazines. Low-capacity 5- or 10-round magazines are also available to comply with legal restrictions, for hunting, for benchrest shooting or where a larger magazine can be inconvenient.

text: AR-15 style rifle[edit]

text: After Colt's patents expired in 1977,[14] other manufacturers began to copy the Colt AR-15 rifle's design. However, the term "AR-15" is a Colt registered trademark and Colt only uses the term to refer to its line of semi-automatic rifles. Therefore, other manufacturers began to market their generic AR-15s under separate designations, although these are all frequently referred to as AR-15s, as are some rifles and carbines that are not even based on the AR-15 design.[15]

text: AR-15 style rifles are available in a wide range of configurations and calibers from a large number of manufacturers. These configurations range from standard full-sizes rifles with 20-inch barrels, to short carbine-length models with 16-inch barrels, adjustable length stocks and optical sights, to long range target models with 24-inch barrels, bipods and high-powered scopes. These rifles may also have short-stroke gas piston system, forgoing the direct gas system standard in AR-15 rifles. These calibers include the 5.56×45mm NATO, 5.7×28mm, 6.8mm Remington SPC, .300 Blackout, 9×19mm Parabellum and .458 SOCOM to name a few.[16][17]

text: Port Arthur massacre[edit]

text: Following the use of a Colt AR-15 in the Port Arthur massacre, the National Firearms Programme Implementation Act 1996 was enacted in Australia, restricting the private ownership of high capacity semi-automatic rifles.[18][19][20]

text: Gallery[edit]

text:
Complete AR-15A2 rifle set with manual, 5.56mm ammo and magazines

AR-15 cleaning kit stowed in buttstock


document_title: Phidias

question_text: who are the architects the athenian acropolis and who was in charge of the sculptural program

text: Phidias

text: Works[edit]

text: Although no original works exist that can be attributed to Phidias with certainty, numerous Roman copies of varying degrees of fidelity are known to exist. This is not uncommon. Almost all classical Greek paintings and sculptures have been destroyed, and only Roman copies or notes of them exist, like the passages of Plato that ascribe Phidias' works to him. The ancient Romans frequently copied and further developed Greek art.

text: In antiquity Phidias was celebrated for his statues in bronze and his chryselephantine works (statues made of gold and ivory). In the Hippias Major, Plato claims that Phidias seldom, if ever, executed works in marble, though many of the sculptures of his time were executed in marble. Plutarch writes that he superintended the great works ordered by Pericles on the Acropolis.[9] Ancient critics take a very high view of the merits of Phidias. What they especially praise is the ethos or permanent moral level of his works as compared with those of the later so called "pathetic" school. Both Pausanias and Plutarch mention works of his depicting the warlike Athena Areia. Demetrius calls his statues sublime, and at the same time precise.[citation needed]

text: Of his life we know little apart from his works. His first commission created a group of national heroes with Miltiades as a central figure.

text: In 447 BC, the Athenian statesman Pericles commissioned several sculptures for Athens from Phidias to celebrate the Greek victory against the Persians at the Battle of Marathon during the Greco-Persian Wars (490 BC). Pericles used some of the money from the maritime League of Delos,[10] to rebuild and decorate Athens to celebrate this victory. Inscriptions[citation needed] prove that the marble blocks intended for the pedimental statues of the Parthenon were not brought to Athens until 434 BC, which was probably after the death of Phidias. It is therefore possible that most of sculptural decoration of the Parthenon was the work of Phidias' workshop including pupils of Phidias, such as Alcamenes and Agoracritus.

text:
The golden ratio has been represented by the Greek letter

φ

{\displaystyle \varphi }

 (phi), after Phidias, who is said to have employed it.[citation needed] The golden ratio is the irrational number 1 + √5/2, approximately equal to 1.618, which has special mathematical properties.

text: Early works[edit]

text: The earliest of the works of Phidias were dedications in memory of Marathon, celebrating the Greek victory. At Delphi he created a great group in bronze including the figures of Greek gods Apollo and Athena, several Attic heroes, and General Miltiades the Younger. On the Acropolis of Athens Phidias constructed a colossal bronze statue of Athena, the Athena Promachos, which was visible far out at sea. Athena was the goddess of wisdom and warriors and the protector of Athens. At Pellene in Achaea, and at Plataea Phidias made two other statues of Athena, as well as a statue of the goddess Aphrodite in ivory and gold for the people of Elis.

text: Zeus at Olympia and the Athena Parthenos[edit]

text: For the ancient Greeks, two works of Phidias far outshone all others, the colossal chryselephantine Statue of Zeus (c. 432 BC) which was erected in the Temple of Zeus at Olympia, Greece, and the Athena Parthenos (lit. "Athena the Virgin"), a sculpture of the Greek virgin goddess Athena, which was housed in the Parthenon in Athens. Both sculptures belong to about the middle of the 5th century BC. A number of replicas and works inspired by it, both ancient and modern, have been made.

text: Upon completing the Athena Parthenos sculpture, Phidias was accused of embezzlement. Specifically, he was charged with shortchanging the amount of gold that was supposed to be used in the statue and keeping the extra for himself. Plutarch writes that Phidias was imprisoned and died in jail.[11] Philochorus, however, says that Phidias went to Elis, where he worked on the colossal Statue of Zeus at Olympia.[12] It seems that the embezzlement charge was politically motivated; a result of his friendship with Pericles, who had many enemies in Athens.[13]

text: From the late 5th century BC, small copies of the statue of Zeus found on coins from Elis, which give a general notion of the pose and the character of the head. The god was seated on a throne, every part of which was used for sculptural decoration. His body was of ivory, his robe of gold. His head was of somewhat archaic type: the bust of Zeus found at Otricoli, which used to be regarded as a copy of the head of the Olympian statue, is certainly more than a century later in style.

text: According to geographer Pausanias (1.28.2), the original bronze Athena Lemnia was created by Phidias (c. 450-440 BC) for Athenians living on Lemnos. He described it as  "the best of all Pheidias's works to see". Adolf Furtwängler suggested that he found a copy of the Athena Lemnia in a statue of which the head is located in Bologna and the body is at Dresden. Some 5th-century BC torsos of Athena have been found at Athens. The torso of Athena in the École des Beaux-Arts at Paris, which has unfortunately lost its head, gives some idea of what the original statue may have looked like.

text: Phidias' workshop rediscovered[edit]

text: A significant advancement in the knowledge of Phidias' working methodology came during 1954–58 with the excavation of the workshop at Olympia where Phidias created the Statue of Zeus at Olympia. Tools, terracotta molds and a cup inscribed on the bottom "Φειδίου εἰμί" (Pheidíou eimí) - "I belong to Phidias"; literally: "of Phidias’ [Genitive: Φειδίου] I am [εἰμί]", placing the more important word first) were found here, just where the traveller Pausanias said the statue was constructed.[14][15][16] The discovery has enabled archaeologists to re-create the techniques used to make the statue and confirm its date.

text: Death[edit]

text: Of his death we have two discrepant accounts. According to Plutarch he was made an object of attack by the political enemies of Pericles, and died in prison at Athens. According to Philochorus, as quoted by a scholiast on Aristophanes, he was put to death by the Eleans after he had completed the Statue of Zeus for them.[17]

text: Gallery[edit]

text:
Head of Aphrodite. Phidian style

Zeus in Olympia, representation on coin

A copy of a work by Phidias or one of his pupils: head of Athena, found around Pnyx, now in the National Archeological Museum of Athens

Reconstruction of Athena Lemnia, Dresden

Head of Athena, Roman copy

Wounded Amazon - Musei Capitolini, Rome

Ivory head of Apollo, perhaps carved by Phidias, looted in 1995 by Pietro Casasanta and repatriated to Italy in 2003


document_title: United States foreign aid

question_text: which country receives the most us foreign aid

text: United States foreign aid

text: Overview[edit]

text: In fiscal year 2014, the U.S. government allocated the following amounts for aid:

text: Total economic and military assistance: $43.10 billion

text:
Top 25 Recipient Countries of U.S. Foreign Aid FY 2013 Reported in $US millions, Obligations [10]

Country

Economic and Military Assistance FY 2013, $US millions

Aid received per person recipient FY2013, $US

Economic Assistance FY 2013, $US millions

Military Assistance FY2013, $US millions

Afghanistan
4533.51
148
2653.93
1879.58

Israel*
2961.04
367
17.81
2943.23

Egypt
1566.24
19
330.6
1235.6

Jordan
1211.83
188
879.64
332.19

West Bank/Gaza
1007.73
370

Ethiopia
686.53
7
685.19
1.34

South Sudan
618.74
55
598.79
19.96

Malawi
571.18
35
570.91
0.27

Uganda
541.93
14
538.3
3.62

South Africa
526.19
10
523.86
2.32

Nigeria
518.84
3
509.41
9.43

Russia
465.16
3
445.07
20.08

Iraq
444.81
13
382.7
62.11

Tanzania
430.66
9
427.82
2.84

Mexico
419.94
3
348.72
71.21

Congo (Kinshasa)
379.24
6
366.73
12.52

Haiti
378.77
37
377.04
1.73

Lebanon
376.41
84
286.03
90.38

Somalia
367.18
35
188
179.18

Zambia
310.8
22
310.26
0.54

Sudan (former)*
290.05
8
290.05

text: Notes:

text:
Sudan (former) refers to the geographic area of Sudan, based on the area that was Sudan before the creation of South Sudan
Except special considerations to countries such as Israel and Egypt, the direction of US foreign aid flow reflects the government efforts in alleviating poverty, promoting democracy and encouraging economic openness of the recipient countries.[citation needed]
As of 2016 the US has undertook a ten-year pledge to provide $3.9B per year until 2026.

text: History[edit]

text: World War I[edit]

text: During World War One, the Committee for Relief in Belgium (CRB), which sent food to the hungry in that war-torn country, received $387 million from the U.S. government (as well as $314 million from the British and French governments and about $200 million from non-governmental sources). These government monies were given in the form of loans, but a considerable portion of those loans was forgiven.[11]

text: After the war, the American Relief Administration, directed by Herbert Hoover who had also been prominent in the CRB, continued food distribution to war-devastated European countries. It also distributed food and combated typhus in Russia during 1921-23. The U.S. Congress appropriated $20 million for the ARA under the Russian Famine Relief Act of 1921.

text: World War II[edit]

text: Levels of United States aid increased greatly during World War Two, mainly on account of the Lend-lease program. United States government aid remained high in the decade after the war because of contributions to European reconstruction, and competition for influence versus the Communist powers in the first years of the Cold War. By 1960, the annual aid amount had receded to about half of what it was in the early post-war years, and, in inflation-adjusted terms, it has remained  at that level—with some fluctuations—until the present.[12]

text:
The Lend-lease program, which began in 1941 (before the U.S. entrance in the war) was an arrangement whereby the United States sent large amounts of war materials and other supplies to nations whose defense was considered vital to the defense of the United States. It began with the passage by Congress of the Lend-lease act (PL 77-11) on 11 March 1941.[13]
Initially, the main recipient was Great Britain; the Soviet Union began receiving supplies (paid for in gold) in June 1941 outside of Lend-lease, and was included in the Lend-lease agreement in November 1941. By the end of the war, most of the Allied countries had been declared eligible for Lend-lease aid, although not all received it. By the time the program was ended by President Truman in August 1945, more than $50 billion worth of supplies had been disbursed, of which the Commonwealth countries received $31 billion and the Soviet Union $11 billion. Although formally the material was loaned, in the end only partial repayment was demanded.

text:
A second wartime aid program, the United Nations Relief and Rehabilitation Administration (UNRRA), was founded in November 1943, by 44 Allied governments, for the purpose of assisting and resettling displaced victims of the war.[14]
Its initial focus was on assisting people in areas the Allies had captured from the Axis powers: distributing food, clothing and other essentials, and helping with medical care and sanitation. Later it also assisted in the resumption of agriculture and industry. Each of the 44 signatories was supposed to contribute one percent of its national income.[15]
The chief beneficiaries were China, Czechoslovakia, Greece, Italy, Poland, the Ukrainian SSR and Yugoslavia. UNRRA returned about 7 million displaced people to their countries of origin and provided refugee camps for about one million who were unwilling to be repatriated. UNRRA ceased operations in Europe in mid-1947;[16] some of its activities in Asia continued under other auspices until early 1949. In the end 52 countries had contributed as donors. Contributions from governments and private organizations during the four years of the program totaled over $3.8 billion; more than half of that was from the United States.

text: Cold War[edit]

text: After the war, the United States began giving large amounts of aid to Greece and Turkey under the Truman doctrine. Both countries were experiencing civil strife between communist and anti-communist factions, and the President and his advisors feared that their efforts to keep European countries from adopting communism might be about to suffer a serious setback. In December 1946, the Prime Minister of Greece visited Washington and requested additional United States aid. Truman promulgated his containment doctrine in early 1947, a major component of which was to be aid to the world's poor countries in order to blunt the appeals of radicalism to their hungry peoples and to bolster their anti-communist political elements. In May 1947 the U.S. government granted Greece $300 million in military and economic aid. Turkey received $100 million. The U.S. government gave Greece $362 million in 1949, and U.S. aid to Greece generally remained over $100 million annually until 1998.[17]

text:
The most well-known, and largest, United States aid program in the immediate post-war years was the European Recovery Program (ERP). More often known as the Marshall Plan, it was the creation of George Kennan, William Clayton, and others at the U.S. State Department under Secretary of State George Marshall. Publicly suggested by Marshall in June 1947, and put into action about a year later, the Plan was essentially an extension of the Greece–Turkey aid strategy to the rest of Europe. The U.S. administration considered the stability of the existing governments in Western Europe vital to its own interests. On 3 April 1948, President Truman signed the Economic Cooperation Act, establishing the Economic Cooperation Administration (ECA) to administer the program, and actual disbursements got underway. The focus was on promoting production, stabilizing currencies, and promoting international trade. To be eligible for the aid, a country had to sign an agreement with the United States government committing itself to the Act's purposes. The Communist countries were formally invited to participate in the Plan although Secretary Marshall thought it unlikely that they would accept and they did in fact decline the aid. Also in 1948, the United States and the recipient countries created the Organisation for European Economic Cooperation (OEEC – it became the OECD in 1961) to coordinate the use of the aid. A large portion of the money given was used to purchase goods from the United States, and the ships used to transport the goods had to be of U.S. nationality. Until after the Korean War, military aid was not part of the plan.[18]
The Marshall Plan ended in December 1951 and its functions were transferred to the Mutual Security Administration.[19]
The United States government gave out about $12.5 billion under the Plan during its three-and-a-half year existence. The countries receiving the most were Great Britain ($3.3 billion), France ($2.3 billion) and West Germany ($1.4 billion).[20]

text: From 1945 to 1953 – U.S. provides grants and credits amounting to $5.9 billion to Asian countries, especially China/Taiwan ($1.051 billion), India ($255 million), Indonesia ($215 million), Japan ($2.44 billion), South Korea ($894 million), Pakistan ($98 million) and the Philippines ($803 million). In addition, another $282 million went to Israel and  $196 million to the rest of the Middle East. The main category was economic aid, but some military aid was provided.[21] All this aid was separate from the Marshall Plan.[22]

text: USAID[edit]

text: Congress passed the Foreign Assistance Act on September 4, 1961, reorganizing U.S. foreign assistance programs and separating military and non-military aid. The Act man which was established by President Kennedy two months later. USAID became the first U.S. foreign assistance organization whose primary focus was long-term economic and social development.

text:
U.S. Foreign Aid by Implementing Agency FY2009-FY2013, Reported in $US millions, Obligations [23]

Implementing Agency

2009

2010

2011

2012

2013

2014

African Development Foundation
35.32
30.86
33.91
29.64
27.84

31.78

Department of Agriculture
244.23
545.52
329.56
369.45
334.82

248.86

Department of Commerce
9.26
9.87
6.23
15.65
18.33

9.11

Department of Defense
14,527.79
15,274.05
18,821.63
17,666.48
8,250.63

10,552.90

Department of Energy
749.51
1,036.85
1,426.41
691.14
972.90

670.21

Department of Health and Human Services
2,713.37
2,717.16
2,258.21
2,281.97
3,079.29

2,695.37

Department of Homeland Security
8.04
6.08
4.09
5.15
0.00

2.67

Department of Justice
43.60
36.46
20.86
18.72
14.06

13.85

Department of Labor
53.78
73.47
52.75
12.16
30.55

17.00

Department of State
6,674.46
6,477.13
6,023.83
6,089.06
5,390.79

6,824.22

Department of the Air Force
4.90
6.43
18.51
0.00
0.06

3.62

Department of the Army
935.81
774.72
420.50
137.53
37.02

15.18

Department of the Interior
1,087.52
225.67
328.07
225.00
216.95

292.18

Department of the Navy
26.57
0.26
17.84
6.81
4.67

Department of the Treasury
1,637.74
2,245.32
2,033.89
2,834.18
2,673.16

2,838.22

Department of Transportation
2.17
3.84
2.87
7.61
3.95

0.27

Environmental Protection Agency
24.67
40.59
22.19
50.62
21.92

20.44

Federal Trade Commission
0.61
0.73
0.33
0.21
0.00

Inter-American Foundation
24.96
25.84
22.96
25.44
26.20

27.79

Millennium Challenge Corporation
1,016.78
873.67
581.00
413.02
1,115.55

567.34

Open World Leadership Center
15.50
12.82
0.00
0.00
0.00

Peace Corps
350.67
389.61
419.09
401.34
386.75

405.60

Trade and Development Agency
42.78
49.88
41.17
44.14
40.64

44.34

U.S. Agency for International Development
16,191.31
17,344.78
15,644.51
18,232.36
17,461.78

17,822.82

text: President Obama announced to the UN Millennium Development Goals summit in September 2010 that the United States was changing its policy towards foreign aid.  The President said the country would focus more on effectiveness, and make sure donated food, medicine, and money help countries get to the point where they no longer require such aid.  Infrastructure set up for the President's Emergency Plan for AIDS Relief would be used to build capacity in local health care systems to improve maternal and child health, and also fight tropical diseases. The new policy would increase the profile and participation of the United States Agency for International Development (USAID), which would coordinate more directly with the National Security Council and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.[24]  Some observers criticized the link with national security and foreign policy as unhelpful for the impoverished, and others lamented the attempted streamlining as only adding more bureaucracy.[24] Foreign aid is a highly partisan issue in the United States, with liberals, on average, supporting government-funded foreign aid much more than conservatives do,[25] who tend to prefer to provide foreign aid privately.

text: Public Opinion[edit]

text: This section  possibly contains original research. Please improve it by verifying the claims made and adding inline citations. Statements consisting only of original research should be removed. (December 2017) (Learn how and when to remove this template message)

text: This section may need to be rewritten entirely to comply with Wikipedia's quality standards. You can help. The discussion page may contain suggestions. (December 2017)

text: Interviews with 1,012 adult Americans were conducted by telephone by Opinion Research Corporation in January 2011: Published by CNN, the response was that 81% felt that reducing aid to foreign countries was a good way to reduce the federal budget deficit, while 18% thought aid was more important than reducing deficit.[26] Thomas Pogge,  Director of the Global Justice Program and Leitner Professor of Philosophy and International Affairs at Yale University, has predicted that public opinion will not change even while the hardships suffered by poor people are rising, partly as a result of the Global Financial Crisis.[27] Some claim the U.S. is helping corrupt governments with the aid.

text: Worldwide opinion of the United States improves with contributions to developing countries.[28]

text: Public knowledge of aid[edit]

text: Several polls have been done assessing the knowledge of the US Public in regards to how much they know about the government’s foreign aid spending. A poll conducted by World Public Opinion in 2010 found that the average estimate for how much of the government’s budget is spent on foreign aid was 25 percent.[29] The average amount proposed by the public was 10 percent of the federal government’s budget be used on foreign aid.[29] In actuality, less than 1 percent of the US federal budget goes towards foreign aid.[29] Less than 19 percent of respondents thought that the percent of the budget that goes towards foreign aid was less than 5 percent.[29] Steven Kull, director of PIPA, relates this overestimation towards an increase in hearing about foreign aid efforts during the Obama administration, but estimates of foreign aid have always been high.[29]

text: A poll conducted in 2013 by Research Pew Center found that the majority of Americans wanted to either maintain or increase spending on all US government initiatives except foreign aid. This is attributed, by Alice C. Hu, to a gross misconception of how much of the federal budget is actually spent on foreign aid.[30]

text: Opinions change[edit]

text: A study by the Washington Post from 2017 shows that Americans are easily persuaded in regards to their opinions on US foreign aid.[31] The percentage of people who were provided no argument regarding foreign aid and though the US spends too much on it was 67 percent.[31] The percentage of people who were provided a positive argument for foreign aid and thought the US spent too much on it was 28 percent.[31] The percentage of people who were provided a negative argument against foreign aid and thought that the US spends too much on it was 88 percent.[31] This shows that the US public is perceptive to changing their beliefs about US foreign aid based on the information presented.

text: Because the US public is perceptive to information regarding public aid, Steven Kull, Director of the Program on International Policy Attitudes, laid out steps to preserve or create a positive outlook on US foreign aid.[32]

text:
Understand the attacks on foreign aid.
Do not frame questions about public opinion in terms of priorities because people are likely to prioritize domestic issues.
Emphasize that only 1 percent of the federal budget goes towards foreign aid, as the Clinton administration did in the 1990s.
Americans feel that the US does more than its fair share on the world stage, so differentiate between foreign aid and military spending.
Note that other countries, apart of multilateral frameworks, are doing their part in contributing to foreign aid efforts.
Discuss that NGOs get a large sum of foreign aid to counter claims that aid only leads to further governmental corruption.
Point out that foreign aid is a safe way to improve US relations with other nation-states, therefore promoting self-interest.[32]

tag: ol

text: Recipients of foreign aid[edit]

text: A study by Andy Baker, a political scientist at the University of Colorado at Boulder, found that Americans are more likely to support foreign aid going to an African country than they are to support foreign aid going to an Eastern European country.[33] Respondents averaged wanting to cut aid going to those of European descent by 40 percent, while respondents averaged wanting to cut aid going to those of African descent by only 11 percent. Baker attributes this to a paternalistic view Americans have of themselves over those of African descent.[33]

text: Spend Amount and destination[edit]

text: Because of the size of the US federal budget, the 0.7 percent of the budget put towards foreign aid totaled 23 billion dollars in 2012.[30] Most US foreign aid does not go to other governments due to skepticism about corruption in other countries. There is a fear amongst the American people that foreign aid is funneled and used to increase the personal wealth of corrupt government leaders of foreign countries. However, about 85 percent of foreign aid goes to non-governmental organizations (NGOs) and US-government contractors, meaning that most of foreign aid is not being given directly to foreign governments.[30]